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ROWENA TEENA TOT 

AND THE BLACKBERRIES 



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ROWENA TEENA TOT 

AND THE BLACKBERRIES 


BY FANNIE BURGHEIM BLUMBERG 
ILLUSTRATED BY MARY GROSJEAN 


ALBERT$WHITMAN 
£^4* co. 

CHICAGO 






COPYRIGHT 1934, BY ALBERT WHITMAN & COMPANY 





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LITHOGRAPHED IN THE U. S. A. 
NEWMAN-RUDOLPH 
CHICAGO 

©CIA 74141 

JU L -6 1934 * 



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R OWENA, Teena, and Tot were three little 
colored girls, who went to visit their 
grandmammy in a little country town in 
the South. 

Grandmammy did not talk like her grand¬ 
children did. When she was a little girl, the 
colored people of the South where Grand¬ 
mammy lived had a special way of talking 
and she never learned to talk any other way. 


5 























One summer morning Grandmammy said 
to the children, “Dis is a fine day fo’ black¬ 
berry pickin’. Git yo’ pails, put yo’ bonnets 
on and le’s go.” 

While Grandmammy harnessed Rosie, the 
horse, to the surrey, Rowena, Teena, and 
Tot got ready. 

Rowena said, “I’ll wear my white sunbon- 
net and tie my three pigtails with white bows.” 

Teena said, “I’ll wear my yellow sunbon- 
net and tie my three pigtails with yellow 
bows.” 

And Tot said, “I’ll wear my blue sunbon- 
net and tie my three pigtails with blue bows.” 



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Rowena, Teena, and Tot got ready. 


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It was a very hot day so the three little 
girls wore only their stiffly starched white 
panties and their blue and white checked 
aprons. All three were barefoot. 

When they were ready they sat down on 
the low porch and waited. 

Soon Grandmammy drove up in the surrey. 

Grandmammy wore a bright green apron 
and a green sunbonnet. She was barefoot, 
too. 

The three little girls climbed happily into the 
surrey. Teena and Tot sat in the back seat but 
Rowena sat in front with Grandmammy. 



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The three little girls climbed happily into the surrey. 


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Rowena wanted to drive so she said, “I can 
drive Rosie, Grandmammy.” 

But Grandmammy said, “Rowena, yo’ is 
sich a teen-weensy chile and Rosie is sich a 
pow’ful ho’ss, I ain’t gwine let yo’ try.” 

Rosie, the horse, seemed glad to get out 
into the country. She trotted very fast along 
the road—clippety, clop—clippety, clop, so 
that they soon reached the berry patch. 

Then Grandmammy called out, “Whoa,” 
and Rosie stood still. 


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Rosie trotted very fast along the road. 































The children got out of the surrey and 
Grandmammy tied Rosie with a loose knot 
to a tree. Then Grandmammy laughed and 
shooed the three little girls toward the berry 
patch with her bright green apron. 

The patch was thick with bushes. 

The big blackberries were juicy and sweet. 
Rowena, Teena, and Tot picked as fast as 
they could. 

At first they popped more berries into their 
hungry mouths than they did into 
their little yellow pails. 



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They popped more berries into their mouths than they 
did into their pails. 


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But when Grandmammy saw what was 
happening, she called out to them in a hurry, 
“Hi-dar— did yo’all come out heah to pick 
berries a’ to eat ’em?” 

Then the three little girls began to drop 
their berries, pitter-patter, pitter-patter, into 
their little yellow pails, instead. 

When their pails were full they would run 
hippety-skippety, to the surrey. Then they 
would pour the blackberries into a big shin¬ 
ing bucket which was on the floor of the 
back seat. 

They picked and they picked. 



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They would run hippety-skippety, to the surrey. 


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The sun grew hotter and hotter. 

The three little girls got very tired. 

Very soon their bright colored sunbonnets 
began to fade. 

Very soon their stiffly starched white panties 
lost their stiffness. 

Very soon it grew so warm they took off 
their little blue and white checked aprons. 

Rowena lost one of her white pigtail bows. 

Next Teena lost two of her yellow pigtail 
bows. 

And last of all Tot lost all three of her blue 
pigtail bows. 



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There they stood picking blackberries in the hot sun. 


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So there they stood, three little colored 
girls picking big blackberries in the hot sun 
and wearing only their flimsy white panties 
and their faded sunbonnets. 

At last Grandmammy saw how tired they 
were, so she called to them kindly, “Yo’all 
kin stop pickin’. We’ll have berries ’nough to 
eat and mo’. Tote yo’ pails to de surrey, then 
yo’ chillun set down and rest ’till I gits dar.” 

So the three little colored girls put on their 
aprons again and gladly did as they were told. 



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So the three little colored girls put on their aprons. 


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When they poured their last little pailfuls 
into the big shining bucket, Rowena said, “My, 
this bucket is just full of berries.” 

Teena said, “I hope Grandmammy makes 
a big blackberry pie.” 

And Tot said, “I hope Grandmammy makes 
blackberry jelly.” 

Then Teena and Tot sat down in the back 
seat of the surrey, and Rowena climbed into 
the front. She sat down in the driver’s seat. 


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“I hope Grandmammy makes a big blackberry pie.” 


21 








At first Rowena was too tired to do any¬ 
thing. When she was rested Rowena picked 
up the reins and held them. But that was no 
fun because Rosie was tied to the tree. Ro¬ 
wena wanted so much to drive Rosie. 

While they were resting Rowena said to 
Teena and Tot, “Yum, yum, blackberries and 
sugar and cream taste good.” 

But they did not answer. 

So she said, “Blackberry jam tastes good, 
too.” 



Again they did not an¬ 
swer. Then Rowena 
looked around and 
there sat Teena and 
Tot with their heads 
leaning against the 
cushions, fast asleep. 


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There sat Teena and Tot, fast asleep. 


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Suddenly Rowena climbed out of the sur¬ 
rey and untied the loose knot which held Rosie 
to the tree. Then she climbed back into the 
driver’s seat and picked up the reins. For a 
little while Rowena sat still holding them. It 
was fun this time because Rosie was untied. 
Rowena wanted so much to drive Rosie. 

Then perhaps without really meaning to, 
Rowena made the softest sound, “Click, click.” 

Rosie pricked up her ears. 

Again Rowena clucked softly, “Click, click.” 


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It was fun this time because 


Rosie was untied. 



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Then perhaps without really meaning to, 
Rowena whispered to Rosie, “Get up.” 

Now Rosie was a very obedient horse. 

At once she stepped off, trit-trot, trit-trot, 
down the narrow lane. 

At once Rowena tried to say, “Whoa,” but 
she was so frightened that she could not say 
one word. 

Perhaps because she was so frightened, 
Rowena flapped and slapped the reins against 
Rosie’s back. 












At once Rosie stepped off trit-trot, down the lane. 


27 































Rosie thought this meant to go faster, so 
she did. 

Then the surrey jolted so hard over the 
rough road that Teena and Tot awoke at once. 
Teena shouted, “Grandmammy!” 

Tot shouted, “Grandmammy, G-R-A-N-D- 
M-A-M-M-Y!” 



Almost in a minute they reached the end 
of the narrow lane and drove into a big field. 
Rowena knew that she must try and turn 
Rosie around, so she jerked the 
reins. The surrey rocked this 
way and that. 


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Teena shouted, “Grandmammy!” 

f 


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Rosie made a sharp turn and the big shining 
bucket filled with the precious berries tipped 
and fell to the ground. 

Just then Grandmammy came running 
across the field. Her green sunbonnet flopped 
behind her and her bright green apron flew 
with the wind. At once she shouted the magic 
words, “Whoa-whoa,” and Rosie stood still. 

Grandmammy was angry as she could be 
because all the berries were spilled. She 
scolded and scolded. 


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Just then Grandmammy came running across the field. 


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Then the three little colored girls who had 
turned pale with fright, began to cry. 

But Grandmammy, whose heart was so 
kind, said, “Hush, chillun, now don’t yo’all 
git started. I’ve had ’nough trouble wid yo’ 
today. Dar’s plenty mo’ berries in de patch 
and plenty mo’ days fo’ pickin’. Yo’all kin be 
thankful that it war jus’ blackberries that fell 
out of de surrey and not black chillun.” 



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